July 2011

1)     Qu.         How can schools at Dorney ever win the Victor Ludorum when clubs have such a large entry. ?

         Ans.       The perennial question ! There is a limit on the total seats any club can enter, traditionally 40, but admittedly few schools can match that for numbers.  Another limit is that Nat Schools or Champs entries should not enter The Ball. 

        Clubs will respond that they cannot match a previously suggested criterion that all their club crew entries should come from the same school, with VL scores declared based on those schools.

Here’s a suggestion……Would competing schools like us to present an extra VL trophy for schools only ?   The current main VL scorings would stay the same; if a school wins both, which seems currently unlikely, so much the case.  Let me have your opinion, and discuss further with Phil Clements on his Dorney web site.

2)    Qu.      We have seen Ball entries at the Nat Schools and Champs.  Is this not cheating?

        Ans.    Personal integrity issue here.  Schools that do enter Nat Champs or Schools often enter The Ball, but we trust them to only enter competitors that are not good enough to enter the big regattas.  We have asked two clubs in the past to desist from entering The Ball on this issue, and a further 3 or so have, at their first time of entering, put in crews outstandingly better than the average. They have apologised and tempered entries to follow.  If you suspect, politely enquire, and inform Phil Clements

3)   Qu.    The coxed sweep fours entries for schools that traditionally constituted the original competition are nowadays seemingly rather thin on the ground, particularly the second fours. Is it time to change the entry format ?

       Ans.   Seems strange, but this is not really a rowing question.  The original Ball Cup was for 1^st and 2^nd sweep coxed fours, and has been offered as such for over 70 years.  These events are part of the national rowing chronicle, and indeed The Ball Cup, with its sweep events, was a highlight at a Henley Royal Regatta exhibition in recent times.  The two events exist to remind us of the origins of the regatta that so many now enjoy in a plethora of optional forms.  They are on the programme for this main reason. There are, of course limited numbers of schools that sweep row only, but they do exist in approximately the same numbers as the pre- 1960s Ball Schools.  Schools contacted so far on this subject do not want the events changed, so, you schools, let’s have a pair of entries from you in 2012 !

4)    Qu.     The Ball Cup Regattas are super events !  Who are the personalities that we should thank for these highly organised friendly regattas ?

       Ans.    Cometh the hour !  The history of The Ball is on the home page, not all recorded, but it is certainly the case that if Katina Bonham of Evesham, Michael Righton, then of Dragon School and Keith Osborne in the north had not taken up the baton at the turn of the century, The Ball would have floundered.  Graham Middleton, lately retired, carried on from Michael,  and the huge Southern event is now brilliantly master-minded by Phil Clements, assisted by Barbara Wilson, Keith Broadhurst, a team of volunteers, umpires, the ARA launches, and more, too many, apologetically, to mention.  The Henley Stewards Charitable Trust, under Mike Sweeney, himself an original ‘Ball Boy’ at Becket School, provide each year the finance to cover the huge background expenses regarding venues, trophies and much more.

        The Northern Ball started as a one-off in 2000, prodded by the indefatigable Keith Osborne.  Warrington Rowing club, under Richard Sinnott, hosted the event several times, Hollinworth Lake once, and Runcorn RC with The Grange School twice. Calendar dates are becoming difficult to find, with the pressure of exams, and in 2011, Runcorn RC, with Simon Leach and Val Edwards, is working in conjunction with The Ball Cup to host a full blown Junior event.

      The search still goes on for a permanent multi-lane course in the north.

5)  Qu. We enjoyed your coaching courses at Tideway. Do you run them elsewhere?

      Ans.    The Ball coordinator is a BR Coach Educator,  and is visiting clubs to introduce parents to the club coaching team. We find it productive to teach as many people as possible to coach properly, rather than solely coach rowing members, the facility for which is still available at the TSS, Imperial or Eton courses. The Ball parent courses are weekend, and assume that the club has all the safety requirements in place, including the basic BR courses.  Concentrated coaching technique guarantees any parent the ability to safely control and coach a crew of novices.

August 2011

1)  Qu.    How can I rig my own sculling boat ?

     Ans.   Easily !  Don’t be put off by those that think rigging is a complex science.

                Rigging is the adjustment of equipment to enable a sculler to perform comfortably and efficiently.   It is true that at a high level, fine tuning adjustments can be made, but the following will hold true for the average sculler.   It is important to follow a sequence – do not listen to anybody that starts to adjust items randomly.

    a)  Adjust sculls to match the boat.    Set sculls at 88 cm from button face to end of handle, ignoring the curved ends ( you cannot pull with these ! ).  Adjust rigger span ( from outside of one top nut to the inside of the opposite ) to 159 cm.  Make sure that any pin adjustment in or out is equal on each side. It is comfortable convention to have the LH gate about 0.5 cm higher than the right. Measure this vertically from a straight edge placed across the sax-boards.  Do this now, and do not measure the actual height – it is not relevant. Neither count washers – the riggers might be slightly deformed. Simply make the left a little higher than the right.  The actual height comes later.

    b) Sit in the boat with sculls and loosen the stretcher. Put feet in stretcher and move to the end of the stroke, hands drawing comfortably to the finish, taking the stretcher with you. Fix the stretcher when the handles are about 5 inches or 12 cm apart.

    c)  Loosen the rails on the slide bed ( thumbscrews are under the deck; access through the hatch cover.)  Come up to a comfortable beginning position. Adjust rails until you are just touching frontstops.  You do not want rails sticking out into the footwell, neither do you want to be hammering frontstops. Your shins will be approximately vertical.

    d)   Scull height.  Sit in the boat at backstops, legs down, back vertical and flat, stomach in.

            Turn scull spoons vertical, and lower handles to just touch thighs. Hands on top of sculls. The sculls should be about a tennis ball distance off the water. ( it helps for another person to hold the stern of the boat for balance ). Adjust gates up or down  equally to obtain this clearance. Again do not count washers, just adjust an equal amount up or down.  Do not listen to anybody that quotes a measurement for this height – no boat is going to fit every  body to a consistent set of figures.

    e)   Nearly there.   Stretcher now.   Your stretcher will have moved fore and aft to obtain the finish.  It will also move vertically to make your feet higher or lower. If your calves interfere with the slide bed or rails at the end of the stroke, adjust the stretcher bed higher until this ceases.  The angle of the stretcher ( rake ) will also adjust.  Most will be set average OK, but if your toes are pointing towards the stern when you drive, steepen it.  If your heels are rising uncomfortably so that you tend to slip down into your shoes, adjust to a lesser slope.    The last two adjustments will involve nearly taking the stretcher to pieces – be careful that you can put it back together.  Some stretchers can also adjust the angle between feet – more splay for the less flexible – but not all.  If the latter 3 actions worry you – ignore them.

    f)  Lastly, you will need a pitch gauge ( and somebody to show you how to use it )

            Set your gates so that they are over-pitched ( lean forward ) by about 5-6 degrees. Less, and the sculls will dive deep, more they will wash out as you draw.

            The above may sound lengthy, but it is amazing how many scullers try to compete with equipment a million miles away from the recommended.  Spend a session on this.  !   You may have to lift the boat in and out of the water a dozen times – use a helper and have patience !  The time spent will win you races !

2)    Qu.     Macon or Chopper Sculls for juniors ?

       Ans.    Any comment on this subject will be controvertial, but believing that opinion should be backed up by reason, here goes !

            How many cyclists or motorists a hundred years ago persevered with solid tyres when pneumatics were invented ?  No prizes !     Similarly, the chopper blade made the Macon blade obsolescent, just as the Macon did to ‘pencils’.  Why ?  One of the biggest ‘stoppers’ in sculling is the backwatering effect by the loom just above the spoon. As the scull moves through the water, it also rotates about a point near, but not at, the spoon base. So part of the shaft moves in a direction opposite to water movement, and is the equivalent to dragging a hand over the side of the boat, or worse.  The Chopper loom is not central to the spoon, and thus moves to a large extent above the surface, negating the backwatering.  In addition, and relevant to the next paragraph, its purchase on the water is more ‘solid’ – an increase in mechanical efficiency, but a worry for young backs.

            We thus notice that many clubs, having a surfeit of Macons from ages past, or, in my opinion, wrongly purchasing them anew, use them for juniors because they have a ‘softer’ beginning and are thus easier on backs.  All true so far !  BUT, looking ahead, are we not in this game for racing, and as efficiency increases, the Macons need a quick beginning to cancel out their mechanical drawbacks. Our improving juniors thus adjust to get the best out of the outdated equipment.  We arrive at the point where they are judged to have improved to such a degree that they are introduced to choppers.  Instinct rules; beginnings are fast, and ‘OUCH’, back injuries.  So what do we do ?

            Simple !  Throw away all the Macons – or imagine that they had never existed.  Start on Choppers.     ( Do I hear howls of derision?! – Read on )

            We must teach our juniors that considerable resistance will be felt in the lumbar region, and linked to the fact that most novices do not have ideal back posture, it is incumbent upon coaches to move carefully in this area.               

            How ?   I do the following, and have never had a junior with a back problem.

            Don’t go near the water with your beginners !    Place two old car tyres on the ground and place a sculling boat with choppers on them. Wedge if necessary to allow a sculler to sit in the boat.  The sculler hold s the sculls as if on water.

            Coach ties a long cord or rope around the base of the spoons to make a long loop and stands with the loop beyond the bow, behind the sculler.   The sculler is instructed to ready themselves for a ‘stroke’ about threequarters forward, and the coach takes up the slack.   The sculler is instructed to gradually try to draw the blades by leg drive, holding back firm, against the increasing resistance of the coach, who tries to prevent movement by increasing rope tension..   At stalemate, the sculler will adopt a ‘perfect’ back, and is held in that position for some 30 seconds. Relax.

            {    It is amazing that the natural instinct of the body to adapt to its most efficient position completely negates rounded backs.  Rounded backs only occur on the water because, being a fluid medium and not providing adequate resistance, water does not call upon the body to adapt its maximum resistance position, an efficient back.  Only as efficiency increases, does the sculler equate the now cerebrally learned 
land exercise to the water sculling action  }

            Back to the land drill. When the coach is satisfied that the back is firm, he/she ‘allows’ the sculler to slowly complete a whole stroke against the rope tension. This can be done in complete slow motion, the coach advising all the time. The backs will be firm but undamaged, as the nervous system is ready for the stress..   Several sessions later, or whenever………… move to the boat.

            Choppers thereafter !

 
Sept 2011 

1)      Qu.    My coach uses scientific terms when giving advice.  I never understood them at school !   What chance now ?!

Ans.   My sympathy to you both !    From the coach’s angle, there is no point in trying to do his/her job efficiently without simple but proper terminology.  From the pupils’ point of view, I will cover some of the more popularly used phraseology. Don’t think that you are the only one with this problem; even coaches at the highest level misuse physics terminology.  I will give an embarrassing example of this later.

      Force.   This is a quantity that tries to make something move, go faster or slower, or if it cannot do this, to deform, or change something’s shape. ‘Force’ is a family noun, with other sub-members of its family title to follow. Commonly, these are Weight, the attraction of the earth upon an object,  Friction, in common terms the ‘stickiness’ that exists between two surfaces, or in boat movement between a hull and water. It tries to slow down movement.  Tension   This is the force that exists in, for example a rope, when trying to move or change the movement of an object. A ‘pull’ force.   Thrust.  This the opposite to tension; it is a ‘pushing’ force. A blade thrusts upon the water in  propulsion, it thrusts upon the rigger pin ( By the way, whenever something thrusts upon something else, the receiving item thrusts back– this thrust is called a Reaction) .    OK ?  Have a cup of tea, and list and learn the above!

      Movement.   How fast a body is moving is called its Velocity, which is a posh word for Speed. ( OK, you academics, I do know the difference between distance and displacement, but am trying to help those in need -  simply !)  It is how far (in metres) A boat moves in a second.  This is measured simply in metres per sec, or m / s , (or for mathematicians in ‘power’ terms that I cannot make my computer print !)

      If a boat goes  Faster, it has an Acceleration for a period.  Technically, and don’t worry over this one, it is a measure of the increase in speed every second.  Units look confusing – forget them!   ‘m/s/s’ or ‘metres per sec per sec’ or m/s ‘squared’ ( Again, gooks, don’t write in !)  Simply remember  Speed ( Velocity ) = ‘How fast’  
Acceleration = ‘Getting faster’ ( or slower )

      Here is the embarrassing one!  A national coach was reported in ‘Regatta’ as saying that current slide thinking was to accelerate forward with constant velocity !!!
Mars Bar prizes for finding the article!

     So now you are already qualifying for your gold coaching awards !  

      Mass and Weight     I could give a lesson on Newton’s Laws of Motion here, but will resist, and break all the rules !   Most coaches will refer to your ‘Weight’; some may use the term ‘Mass’.  No problem with either, take them as meaning the same –we know what they mean.  ( to save email response time – yes, we do know that mass is measured in Kg, Weight in Newtons, and that numerically weight is 9.81 times greater than Mass, but forget it ! )

      Interestingly, some coaches may mention Inertia.  This is a term that dimensionally ( measurement units ) equates with Mass.  Descriptively, most lumps of matter ( you or me ) don’t want to move unless acted upon by a force ( for example, your mothers getting you up to go to school )  We thus have a high Inertia, an ‘unwillingness’ to move.

     Distance, Length etc..     No sympathy here, we must all know that the length of an Olympic rowing course is 2000 metres.  Your rigger span is 159 centimetres. 
10 mm = 1 cm      100cm = one metre     1000m = 1 km  ( By the way, do not mix up ‘metres’ ( distance ) with the device that is under the stairs measuring gas volume or electricity units (‘meter’ ))
      Let’s talk about Work = Energy = Force times Distance applied  ( Joules ),  Power = Rate of doing work (Watts ) another time ( if you are interested to continue, let me know)
     Enough for now.   That will surely see you through your season’s junior wins.  Pull your coach’s leg by asking him/her some of the above.    In answer to the original email,  Yes, you do need to understand simple physics! 

2)      Qu.    I have won several junior singles events and things are getting technical.  I have problems understanding ‘beginnings’.   I have heard that my body movement at the catch must actually begin before the blade engages the water ??

Ans.  Yes, we could have big discussions here, BUT, I would like to relate back to the understanding of physics terminology, so………
      You know already that in simple summary, at the catch the blade has to reverse its movement towards the bow, drop into the water ( complex issues here – don’t worry ) catch up the water passing the boat ( relative motion) and by attempting to move faster than this water movement exert a thrust upon the water, whose reaction forces exert a force back upon the blade and thereon the rigger pin, which propel the boat forwards.
      The effective propulsion of the stroke is dependent upon the efficiency of this ‘catch’ and the propulsive force which can be maintained over an arc of blade movement.   I’m teaching you to suck eggs here – you know all this !  But there is an interesting comparison between singles and quads here.  A relatively slow single demands a longer ‘hang on’ towards the end of the arc than the quad, whose movement is so fast that an experienced quad athlete will tell you that once the 90 degree point of maximum efficiency is passed, the main task is to forget further propulsion, simply to extract the blade efficiently with no drag, let the boat run and prepare for the next very efficient quick beginning.
       Now read this !   Your comment about body movement  ( I’ll call it ‘kick’ ) is terribly valid.   And it’s all about more physics. !
       If you think that the ability to propel the boat is down to muscular effort only, forget it!
       Your body needs help !  My TSS course students will remember me drawing silly pictures of a medieval storming of a castle.  The dopey invaders call up the muscular heavyweights, who try to push down the gate – and fail miserably.   The clever ones are the lightweight athletes ( yes, they spelled it like that in 1357 ), who pick up a tree trunk, run it at the door and batter it down !
       You can be dopey or clever.  However strong you are, that strength alone will not propel a boat efficiently.   But you have a ‘tree-trunk’ – your body !  Its mass, if it can be moved, provides a Momentum ( Momentum { more physics –sigh !} = Mass times Velocity )  So, a sculler with a mass of some 70-80 kg, starting to move his/her body as quickly as possible off front stops during that fraction of time that the scull ‘drops’, by the action of LEG DRIVE, not body lift, or worse, arm catch, adds a momentum effect ( Called Impulse ) to the muscular propulsive forces so wonderfully developed during those winter gym days. A better training compromise – work on leg ‘kick’at blade entry as well as gym or ergo work.    ( I remember telling young scullers at TSS to cover their ears as a certain international lightweight sculler had his language wonderfully amplified by cavernous Chiswick Bridge as he practised dozens of leg kicks – presumably not in that session achieving too much success at this very difficult task )
      So, yes, you have heard correctly, but do it by LEG kick; use your body’s momentum and DRIVE
     ( Ask your coach why an ‘ergo’ (ergometer) is so named . The answer is that in between old fashioned Imperial units such as the Horse Power and the Poundal, a brief foray into international units was made, whereby the ‘erg’ was the amount of energy expended by applying a ‘dyne’ of force through a distance of a centimetre. Unfortunately, the units were so small that we were dealing in millions.  They were scrapped and we use the substitutes, the Newton, the Metre and the Joule.   ( Ask me about these if you are interested ))

3)      Qu.    ‘Mankind has never reached perfection in any performance or design. Improvement is always possible’   Will this be true in rowing ?

Ans.   Given that the Olympic boat, rigger and blade definitions instruct us to perform our sport within medieval equipment parameters, we can certainly examine the current search for that element which will give GB that vital sea change that will out- perform the world.
      There are several approaches to research development.  We can, for example, take the current model and try to improve its efficiency. Problem here is that the current model is possibly rubbish !    
      So, as an alternative, throw away the current tools and start from scratch, bringing in technicians and theorists that are shown the task but not the previously used equipment.   Difficulty with the this method is that it is on a par with Soccer management; directors are impatient – new design takes time and we want the quick fix !  The ‘Old School’ would also have a say !
       Why not go down the cheat road ?  Just like the Japanese in the1950s and 60s, scour the world for the very best – and copy it !   Bit of a stand-still future here ! 
        Of course, in rowing, we are dealing not only with human physiological development, which tends to advance at a pretty constant rate throughout the honest athletic world, but also with equipment of such complex and permissibly variable design, that in the latter may lie the holy grail – or is it in the joint application of body, blade and boat – a single machine.
        Look at history – we had of course the sliding seat;  more recently we had the Pencil – Macon – ‘Chopper’ blade design evolution –that was meaningful !.   In the late 1970s along had come a German school teacher named Karl Adam, who revolutionised training methods, transformed ‘fartlek’(Scandinavian distance training)  into interval training and for a while made West German eights invincible.  At a modest home level, in the 1970s this writer picked up an article on the distance track athletes glycogen shunt dietary approach, applied it to a crew of 16 year old schoolboys ( try doing it now !) and smashed the 31 mile Boston marathon record, beating the current GB four.  Now every body does it !
       Here are my thoughts, which maybe are a gel mix of several of the above approaches.   Firstly,  I tend to respect, but not necessarily accept, historical commentary.  As example, I think in a book titled ‘Rowing, a Scientific Approach’, I read that crews that rush up slides are not at a disadvantage to those that adopt a more measured approach, the argument being that both crews are sealed units contained within a boat, and that their internal movements, given identically efficient bladework, do not offer variability in their independence from the outside medium, the water.  OK, so why does my observed very fit novice crew at a provincial regatta trail by several hundred metres behind an equivalent elite crew.   Somebody wrong in the theory ?  Not obviously, so maybe there is another source of such variation.?
      Another quote from somewhere……, with reference to energy expenditure in the mechanical functions of the moving racing boat.   ‘ Pitch -  that up and down movement of the boat, does not have a deleterious effect on motion.’    What ?!!
Sorry, not acceptable. So off I go to find a boat full of athletes, and lift and allow the bow to fall – 150 + times!!    Yes, I am k…..d !   Ok, so I apply a bit of simple physics and work out the average energy of pitch as a percentage of crew energy expended
( not to difficult as an estimate), and find that pitch does have an appreciable effect.
    Moving sideways for just a moment, interesting how different investigators sometimes arrive, independently, at similar conclusions.  Take contemporary observation of pitch by means of the water-expelling tube fixed to the moving boat.
 ( See ‘Rowing’ )
      Now the big one for the future !  Resonance.   Sorry, I’ll say that again – Resonance!   More physics !    Yes, and here we go…. ‘Resonance is the interaction of two or more oscillations to give a net increase in amplitude of one.’   QED – all solved !    ( Not really, I’m joking ) 
     So you would like it explained.   An oscillation is a repetitively performed phenomenon.  A child’s swing, the pendulum on a clock, the pitch of a racing boat, the movement of a crew up and down its slides. In its purist form the oscillation is called Simple Harmonic – the projection onto an axis of a point moving in a circle at constant angular velocity ( Sorry –forget that bit !).
      When two oscillations take place within a unit, they can combine in two ways; they either cancel each other to a degree – called destructive interference , or mutually support each other to give an increase in amplitude ( Physically, in rowing this is the amount of movement ) – this is called constructive interference, or Resonance.
 ( Radio frequency tuning to give maximum volume is also a constructive combination of two radio frequencies)   So the novice crew’s oscillations combine to give a resonance phenomenon – the pitch increases to a degree that its energy subtracts from that available to propel the boat..      The international crews must therefore strive to achieve near zero resonance of the oscillatory movements within the boat. Their available energies are therefore channelled into propulsion.
       The language might be scientific, but the artisan has a back door into physics -  intelligent observation and ‘feel’.  Gully Nickalls, 7 times winner of The Grand Challenge Cup at Henley ( are you attending, Alan ), knew how to cancel resonance – by feel !     The intelligent coach is using his water spout observations – by experimentation.  Physicists are deriving complex equations for pitch motion, involving Archimedian forces, non pure SHM,  as is slide movement, and combining the two to cancel resonance.  Bit brain blowing, and 2012 gets closer !
       The results, however obtained, combine to give as efficient a performance as is possible using currently conventional equipment. We can actually, by combining feel, observation of experiment and theory, actually already give an approximate contemporaneous ( now!) working model for eradication of resonance effects. 
       Moving on, what about these blades with an angle piece moulded on to the upper edge of the spoon ?   Gimmick or revolutionary design ?  My sculler has tried them – definitely a more efficient catch and drive, but if you scull your blade deep (see ‘backwatering’ last month ), the trial is futile.          We shall see !   The world awaits !
I’m going to see what HG Wells has to say !

4)      Qu.    Where do you obtain the beautiful Ball Cup Medals awarded at Dorney and Runcorn.  Are they real gold and silver ?

Ans.  No advertising restrictions on this site !  They are certainly real gold and silver – plated !  But where can you find as fine as these.?    Crescent Silver,  Spencer St., Hockley, Birmingham, B18 6DE.  They will make and charge you for a master mould to your design, which is your property, then the medals at a very fair rate. Ask for Neil !

If you have fought your way through the rather extensive material this month, again vote daily for us on the world’s Top 100 Rowing Sites.  Top of home page. We are at publication 2nd out of 810 !  Emails for subject discussion – keep them coming

October Forum

1)      Qu.  Most modern sculling boats have ‘gull-wing’ riggers.  What are the advantages, if any, of these ?

    Ans.  Mixed feelings !  The indisputable advantage of gull-wing over conventional single riggers is lack of stress on the boat.  Conventional single riggers apply a ‘squeezing’ effect on the shoulders, often constructed of wood within the laminated and gel-coat skin of a plastic boat. The inner wooden shoulders crack, lose their rigidity, and the outer skin, although flexing to a degree, eventually splits as well.  Try flexing the riggers on an old boat and see the movement, especially if thinking of purchase.

        Gull-wings, although capable of carrying considerable stress fore and aft, or compression across the boat in use, due to the aerofoil shape, can be prone to puncture or cracking strain in transit or storage, during unconventional movement loads.

         Weight advantage is an irrelevance anyway if comparing with aluminium conventionals. The difference is small, most of the weight of both being in the pins. Wet rowing clothing kit, for example, or an extra sweater, is far greater than the weight difference between the rigger designs !

         Streamlining efficiency is indisputably greater in a gull-wing, but as above, the advantage is negligible. Learn to scull – there lies a real advantage !

         A common problem with gull-wings is their professed advantage in the ability to adjust their fore and aft position in the boat.  There will be several cm of option in this range, and although the design offer is beneficial to the expert rigger, the average sculler may have problem deciding on setting the gull-wing position.

         Apart from sheer guess work, I take the trouble over a couple of sessions to adjust as follows.  Acknowledged angles for a single between sculls and the centre axis of the boat are approximately 37 deg, measuring behind the sculler at the catch, and 137 deg at the finish.  These are the angles where work starts and finishes ( Ouch, those hamstrings ! ) not simply the reach.

        I find a bridge underneath which the sculler can work at racing pace, and either video or take several exposures of the sculler from above. You will eventually find a good pic at either end of the stroke. Enlarge and print. Rule the prescribed angles and those achieved.  The average club sculler will not achieve the prescribed angles, usually being up to 10 deg more at the beginning, and depending on too much lie-back, often too great at the finish.  Clue to gull-wing setting is to photo in a conventionally rigged boat as well.  If the recommended catch angle is easily achieved in the gull-wing, but not in the conventional, the wing is set too far towards the bow. Adjust until comparable with the conventional.  ( More simply, measure the work line across the boat for a comfortable conventionally rigged single, and set comparably for the gull-wing. A rule of thumb for starters is that the line of work across the boat should be approx 5 cm towards the bow from the front stop position ). Whichever, the vertical pic session throws up other clues, such as stretcher rake angles needing change as the knees are forced outside the arms, the beginnings taken on the sides of the feet, with the heels lifting over-high. Also obvious from plan view is the degree of rounded back in attempting to reach the beginning.

 ( Knees should never reach outside the arms at the beginning or any point, but end somewhere within the arm-pit/chest angle.)

     ( If any reader would like some copies of these vertical pics, let me know )   

     The spacers between the gull-wing and the boat hull can be used, if variable thickness, in conjunction with the gate washers, to set the height (see previous article) of the sills.

     Interesting is that there is available a gull-wing which is set behind the sculler.  I would find this a definite advantage in adjusting my stretcher
( an awful problem in most gull-wing boats ! ), BUT, what worries me, and might well cause any coach who understands the physics of moments
( leverage, not time !) to think, is a head-on study of the craft, locating handles, rigger pins and scull positions in the water. The handles are higher than the pins, both higher than the water position. There is a turning moment which tends to lift the boat slightly at the catch, the force being applied at the rigger mount area, the fulcrum – no apparently great disadvantage.

      If the rigger is mounted behind the sculler, the point of application of the turning moment, the ‘lift’, is considerably towards the bow.  Is this an attempt to minimise pitching ? Is there another application somewhere in the design ?  Have a good think !

      We are probably losing the drift of the question, so good luck with those gull-wings – don’t stack other items on or under them in the trailer!

2)      Qu.  I tend to row my sculls deep during the stroke. I understand the drag problems, but how do I cure it ?

    Ans.  I have often said during lectures that a sculling boat on its own is potentially a fairly fast-moving unit.  The problems start when we put a sculler in it !

        The lesson starts with the above premise; a well rigged boat and sculls, the product of both evolution and design, knows what it is doing !  You, the sculler, must not interfere, but accommodate to the equipment’s requirements.

        Let us start by assuming that you have correctly and comfortably rigged your boat and sculls ( See previous forum ).

        Sit at back-stops, straight comfortable back, on the bones of the pelvis, not spread out like a jelly fish all over the seat.  Lean slightly forward, spoons upright, arms straight, and place the blades in the water.  Observe.

        The sculls are floating on their own.  Take your hands off
( careful ! ).  The spoons will float with about 1 cm. above the water. This is the depth at which they must be drawn during the stroke.

         Place only a forefinger over the handle of each scull, let them float at their natural depth, and slowly draw the handles towards you.  You will notice……….

1)    The handle does not come straight towards you, but moves in an arc. This arc must be followed during the draw ( How ? Later )

2)    At some point the ends of the handles interfere with each other.  This is why, during the rigging, the starboard gate can be adjusted about 0.5 cm higher than the port. Also, it is convention that the port scull slightly leads the starboard during the draw.

3)    As the handles approach the body, the L/R symmetry can be re-established. The stroke ends when the handles are about 10-12 cm apart.

4)    The elbows will tend to leave the body. How much ?  So that the forearm makes an angle of 90deg. with the scull. Do not listen to anybody that prescribes a figure for this. The right-angle is the magic number for max efficiency. The scull is still floating, which prescribes the height of the elbows.

Now, back to the start again. Place your thumbs over the end of the handles. Use them to keep a slight lateral force towards the gate throughout the draw. All fingers over the handle, the forefinger where the curved end of the rubber starts.  Use the fingers as hooks – no grip, and repeat the floating stroke.  The second joint of the fingers will contact the handle.  The hand/wrist combination is flat.

       Cup of tea time! During the break think of this situation.  Tie a piece of string round a small weight and place the weight on the floor. Allow the string to become slightly slack. Pick up the weight. Notice that the weight will not move until the slack has been taken up.  When you take the beginning in a sculling boat, there are innumerable slack points in your body joints – fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, back, legs etc..

You must contract all the muscles to be used before the scull will move. This does not mean that you bend your arms !

       Without using your slide, repeat the above using slightly more pressure. Check the floating depth throughout. If you draw the handles straight towards you, they will still follow an arc, but the arc will be in a vertical plane, ie the handles will draw ‘over a hill’ and the spoons will dive deep  Assuming all is OK, the boat is now moving. At the end of the draw, the sculls are removed from the water, not by twisting flat onto the water, but by a quick synchronised downward movement, not literally a ‘tap’ as some coaches wrongly call it. You will have balance problems here, so leave the stroke for a while and practice blade extraction at the finish until you can return to the beginning with boat balanced and sculls off the water, still upright.

P A T I E N C E !

     Now repeat the floating hook draw at full slide.  You will not balance the boat yet with upright sculls going up the slide, so a little cheating is permissible here. It is, however important to remove the sculls vertically, no twisting !  Practice ‘playing the piano’ as you draw, so as not to grip.  Remember to follow the required arc.

     Now take the boat from the water and mount it the right way up on trestles, with sculls inserted.  You are going to learn to feather and square properly.  Stand alongside the boat, level with the slide, and hold the opposite scull as if you were in the water. Push the other out of the way, or remove it. Keep the scull approx at 90 deg to the boat, and mount the spoon upright.  The challenge is to remove the scull from ‘the water’, flatten the spoon ( feathering ), then turn it upright again
( squaring) , and drop it in ‘the water’ again.  -  That’s the easy bit !  You have to do it with as little wrist drop or raise as possible. –  In my day, when cruelty was of necessity a way of life  ( !) , coaches would sharpen a lollypop stick at both ends, and strap it above the wrist with an elastic band.  Wrist drop or raise strangely became obvious !

   The early way to feather and square is to push laterally with the thumb, regard it as a fulcrum ( turning point ) and using friction between the four fingers and the rubber grip, push and pull. The scull will rotate.

   Now the really expert way !  What shape is the scull button –Wake up ! – Square !

How far do you have to rotate it to turn it through 90 deg ?    90 deg ?      Rubbish ! 

The answer is 45 deg !, which will place the button on a corner of its square section, thereafter it will fall the remaining 45 deg on to the feather or square.

   So back to the exercise. In slow motion, try the above, and wait for the ‘clunk’ as it falls flat or upright. You will find that you have adopted a loose grip with the handle at the base of the fingers, and that the rotation is completed with only the slightest raise or lower or the wrist ( not enough to draw blood !)

   Back into the boat !  Follow the arc as pressure increases. Sculls removed by infinite patience, vertically. Arms away, lead with the left, equate symmetry, drop in, catch ( see last month )  The muscles throughout the hands, wrist, arms and shoulders contract at the catch, but the arms do not begin to bend! Again, as you draw, let the blades float, and follow the arc !   

         Phew, that was a real triple length lesson ! If you are a junior, do your best to understand the above, practice with your coach, as balance is precarious for some.

If you have problems working it out, ask your coach if  he/she is willing to supervise you. The method may seem long, but the errors of the worst scullers will become obvious at some point, and corrected, will never recur.

3)      Qu.     I have heard that The Ball Cup Regatta will not be held at Dorney in 2012 due to the Olympics.  Is this so ?

    Ans.    Emphatically Not !   The Ball Cup Regatta will as usual be held at Dorney in 2012.   The date is Sunday May 13^th 2012.    Details available as usual through the link to Phil Clements on the ‘Links’ page,  ‘Ball Cup Regatta (South)’

            The event should hold an extra element of excitement, knowing that Ball competitors will be rowing the same lanes as the world’s top crews, who compete during the week July 28^th – August 4^th.

            The Dorney venue will be under an advanced state of preparation in May, and the Ball Regatta may well this year be started at the 2000m rafts, hopefully using the Olympic lights and bleepers.  All very exciting !

November Forum

1)    Qu.   In regatta events, I am told that umpire instructions will relate to ‘Port’ and ‘Starboard’ .  At home, my coaches still use ‘Stroke-side’ and ‘Bow-side’.  Please help me !

        Ans.   Pretty typical !  I do agree with you; I hear it wherever I go.  On courses for coaches, my use of ‘Port’ and ‘Starboard’ is often met with blank looks.

          A few years ago, I was watching a best to be nameless regatta, when I heard from an umpire an amplified instruction to a straying coxless boat, ‘Move Left’ !!

          Tideway crews that are not aware of the international navigation definitions are dicing with their lives.  Tourist steamers and commercial craft will warn rowers in  correct jargon.  The skippers of such craft are not rowers !

          So – to history !   All the following comment is based upon the view as seen from the captain of a moving  commercial craft. He is assumed to be facing the direction of motion – towards the bow.  In rowing terms, this is a cox’s view.

          Before the days of stern-mounted rudders, boats were steered by an oar, or plank of wood, hinged over the stern side of the boat on the captain’s right side. This side was thus the ‘steering-board’ side – later ‘starboard.’  ( The opposite side was the ‘larboard’ side – no real interest to us here, because it went out of use )

          If the steering board projected over the right side of the boat, when time came to unload the cargo at a wharf or dock in port , the ship would moor on the side opposite the steering mechanism. This thus became the ‘port’ side.

          Now to colour.  If we are on a cross-channel ferry or similar, as we enter a port, we will pass red buoys on our left, or port side. Green buoys will be passed on our right, or starboard side. 

          The colours red and green thus become synonymous with port and starboard respectively.   At night, craft carry a red light on the port side and green light on the starboard side.  Even the largest aircraft follow the same convention, and yet there are still those in rowing clubs that simply refuse to comply with the rest of the world !

          The ultimate illogicality in the use of ‘Stroke-side’ disappeared back in the last century sixties when crews were first commonly stroked from ‘bow-side’, ostensibly to prevent boats from ‘snaking’ due to asymmetrical leverage considerations. 

          So, juniors, correct your coaches politely – quote things like ‘Noah’, ‘Mastodons’  ‘Pink socks and caps’, ‘Bicycle clips’ !!!  All good-natured !

          Some five years ago, we printed vinyl logos in red and green, worded ‘Port’ and ‘Starboard’, for sticking inside the saxboards alongside stroke and cox’s seat, or even on the bows of the boat.   I was once asked ‘ Why do you name your boat ‘Port’ !

          If any clubs would like samples of these, email me.  They won a safety award from the Port of London for the most safety-minded application for rowers on The London Tideway.

          So, think and learn ‘Port and Starboard’.   No, they do not reverse when you are facing backwards, as some supposed intelligent coach once suggested !!

          OK, so now let’s add some useful, or even life-saving,  advice for steerspersons and coxes.

          When you row on inland waters, you conventionally row with your starboard bank nearer than the port – or for the last time, on the right of the channel for coxes.

When you meet another boat coming towards you, if they are behaving correctly, they will be on the opposite side ( Hence, pass ‘port to port ’ ). If a faster boat overtakes you, stay close to your starboard bank and let it pass outside you.

Exception to this will be on the London Tideway, which has anomalous rules for rowers.  In general, the rules relate to the direction of tide.  Boats rowing with the tide use the centre of the channel, albeit treating that centre area as a water distinct from the outer lanes. So although you use the centre of the channel with the tide, you keep slightly to the starboard of the centre line. Keep well to the starboard side of centre when approached by commercial craft powering against the tide – they have to use the centre channel irrespective of tide for depth considerations.

      If you wish to row against the tide, you use one of the two outside lane options. Which side you use is laid down by Port of London ruling, given on maps at all boathouses. Generally, rowing against the tide ruling gives you an area to the inside of a bend. When that bend runs out, you may have to cross the river. Be careful, boats rowing with the tide in the centre, plus commercial craft, have right of way.

     So there you have it !!     Although these pages are mostly read by junior rowers and scullers, any coaches reading this should firstly vow never to say ‘stroke-side’ again, test their crews regularly regarding navigation, and get some of those safety stickers !

 
This month we welcome as guest ‘ Girl on the River’ , Patricia Carswell . Patricia, a journalist, has recently become addicted to rowing, a passion reflected on her site www.GirlontheRiver.wordpress.com  .  Her problem is a general one that troubles many scullers and rowers. The response deals with the specifics, but contains a warning – do not start guessing ! An effect may be obvious, but the cause is vague, indistinct, and must be prised out in a cold logical sequence.

2)    Qu.  “  In a double, my partner and I tend to veer towards port. In a sweep boat, we both row on the starboard side. Could there be a link?  ”

        Ans.    The advice that I would give Patricia is not to be tempted to jump to a conclusion that might be attractive but has no initial reason for validity.   There are many reasons why a boat might veer off course, and the only way to analyse the problem is to test the options in a logical sequence. This might take an hour or so off the water to begin with, but we are possibly looking at a fault that might last a lifetime, and well worth the time.

       Let’s begin. Let us look firstly at the equipment.   Is the boat that is used the sole property of the scullers, or is it a pool boat that is used generally by club members who might be tempted to experiment with the range of adjustments possible ?   Let us assume that Patricia puts a padlock on her boat and sculls when not in use and that no outside agency can meddle.

       Put the boat upside down on trestles.  We can, I think, trust the maker to provide a craft with hull symmetry.  Examine the fin.  These protrusions suffer greatly during their oft-short lives. Collisions with upper arms on a trailer, or resting hull down at regattas, but mainly flotsam on the river might well distort the fin. A loose mounting might cause the fin to resonate during action.  Check it out. If not firmly and symmetrically mounted, replace.

      We will not go into rigger settings here, but refer the reader to the extended piece on rigging in the August 2011,  1) archive.  Assuming that all is achieved, and span, height and pin inclination have been checked with rule, spanner and pitch gauge, we can move on.  Before we do, check that although the span might be the recommended 159-160 cm, the gates might not be equal distances from their respective sax-boards. There will be a couple of centimetres possible variation. Check it out. If the pitch varies from gate to gate, individual strokes will be deep or tending to wash out. This will vary the drag, and therefore the leverage on one side.

       The article dealt with forward and backstop adjustments. In a single, a little leeway is permissible, but in a double, sculls must work parallel, and more importantly, the ‘bite’ at the stroke beginning must be together.

        An early beginning by bow on starboard side will move the boat towards port an imperceptible amount. Holding in at the finish by stroke will also veer the boat to port.  Once the boat is off line, the area exposed to the stream will be greater on one side than the other and the veering will increase. Talking of which, a river such as the Wye has considerable random eddies and motion, and is not an item to be forgotten in this problem. Eliminate by sculling round two opposite bends. The stream will tend to push you towards one, and ‘pull’ you from the other.

        It is probable that one sculler is taller than the other.  Not too practical here for novices, but worthwhile mentioning is that a shorter sculler can match the extra length of the taller by reducing the rigger span. This of course demands that the length of the scull, certainly the inboard length, must be adjusted to match, giving both scullers equal ability to match each other. This is for an advanced coach; otherwise find a modicum whereby parallel movement is more or less achieved.  I mentioned in a previous article that camera pics from a bridge will help here. Have a day on the Gloucester canal.

        So, the boat and sculls are now OK.  We cannot therefore, blame the tools !

        Assuming that both scullers are novices, a double is the best boat to return to basics and remove the undoubted faults that occur, which in an indefinable way generally mess up the stroke.

        So, with one sculler the stabiliser, blades flat on the water, handles clamped together, but with just enough feather to skim and give stability, the other checks out the basic movements…….

        Backstops.  Sculls vertical. ‘Down’. Blades emerge, a tennis ball space under. ‘Feather’, without dropping wrists.  Repeat 50 times. !   ‘Arms away’, but initially exaggerate the lead with the left, so that there is no handle obstruction at the 90 degree point. Keep slight downward pressure on the handle so that the sculls remain off the water. Square well before frontstops, drop sculls in and gently catch by leg drive.

        Repeat from backstops, then as confidence gains scull slowly and continuously. During the draw the right passes slightly in advance of the left, but at backstops must be in symmetry with the left.  You will feel if one arm is drawing harder than the other.   If the partner can be persuaded to remove the earphones, they will notice possible veering here and advise!

        It is possible that one leg is driving harder than the other, leading to skewing of the body and who knows what…..  Check it out.

        Change actions with partner and repeat.

        Now, go through the lot again together. This is where the balance is lost, the handles let go, and the boat turns over!  Let’s hope that you are well upstream of Monmouth town bridge !   Seriously, stay alert and keep talking. Do not hold your breaths and make all movements quick but smooth.  Great patience is required here. Do not be in a hurry to move on. You are a twosome for a season or more. A couple of sessions achieving this togetherness will reap rewards.

       You have probably been looking for a magic cure for your fault.    Believe me, you will by now have cured it !

        There is nothing like an experienced coach or observer, but the above can be done by the scullers themselves.  The third party is the check out.

Don’t forget that the previous months’ forums (‘fora’ for classicists ?) are there to provide interesting and valuable coaching browsing for all. Use the link at the top of the month’s content.

The Ball Cup Regatta will as usual be held at Dorney in 2012.   The date is Sunday May 13^th 2012.    Details available as usual through the link to Phil Clements on the ‘Links’ page,  ‘Ball Cup Regatta (South)’

The event should hold an extra element of excitement, knowing that Ball competitors will be rowing the same lanes as the world’s top crews, who compete during the week July 28^th – August 4^th.

December Forum 

1)  Qu.    Your championship scullers seem to regularly win medals with so little apparent effort.  Are they super-fit ?  Are there any secrets ?
     Ans.    To begin at the end. There are no secrets in these columns!  Our aim is to help scullers  reach as high a standard as possible.

     Working backwards, possibly an indirect answer….  No, they are not super-fit, although out of boat work does play its part to a degree.  An initial observation of some club training policies seems to involve an oft-paranoic propensity to challenge human physical structure in the gym to its yield point.  Applied to juniors and women, this is downright dangerous. Senior males can decide the fate of their own bodies, coaches of juniors, which may well include potential mothers of the future, should be aware of legal implications.

     Analogies are so valuable……  Some twenty years ago, when building a house, I purchased a JCB digger.  It had some 14 different movement controls, eight of these working in tandem. The digging arm hinged in the centre and at its base, the bucket also, all in a vertical plane. The whole swivelled, and could be tilted by jacks. 

    I spent hours learning the motion piece by piece. I could have moved earth quicker with a shovel and wheelbarrow !

    But it became easier, and two years later I was aware that the action of the machine was an extension of my brain.  The bucket responded to my thoughts; the hand controls had passed beyond conscious action.

    Young football-crazy Brazilians breathe, eat and live with a ball at their feet. It becomes a body part which obeys the brain instincts.

    The same with all sports involving technical tools – even the horse for jockeys and eventers – training involves complete subconscious integration with the tool of the trade.

    You can see where I am going.  How many scullers prepare for competition when they have not mastered the ‘ at-oneness ’ with their craft and sculls. They are the equivalent of the soccer player competing with a rugby ball, or a rider jumping with no stirrups. Learn to live in your boat !

    Every sculler must initially treat his equipment to a lengthy cosseted makeover. These columns have dealt previously with extensive rigging advice. Take it !  Be comfortable ! Perform the recommended comfort movements. I did not drive my JCB in boxing gloves !

    Spend ten minutes easily sculling. If not happy, come back to the stage and follow the logical adjustment sequence. Again, and again and again !

    Now we start training !   Each committed athlete has his/her own equipment or is allocated such. Only the coach makes adjustments. Throughout the autumn and early winter, all boat work is in singles. Open competition is not a temptation at this time.

    All outings are preceded by stretching.  A developing muscle becomes fatter, and therefore shorter. Range of movement would decrease, and this must be avoided.  The athlete is well-clothed. Outer layers can be discarded from the boat as the session develops. What do we think the cycling coach is for ?!

    Off we go.  The first session is a 7 mile easy paddle, each stroke minutely criticised in a constructive way by an accompanying coach.  Pauses are for schooling and discussion – both ways, not rest !  We are looking for perfect bladework: early squaring, clean extraction, sculls off the water at a constant height, good wrist action, thus no ‘skying’ at the beginnings – hence sculls ‘drop in ’. Above all, quick arms away, easing into a floating slide.   The latter is incredibly important in addressing the apparent ‘easy action’ comment ( see later ).

    After an hour or so, and 7 miles later, the athlete is warm, and the developing perfect action is moving to the permanent memory section of the brain.  No discomfort; the boat is becoming part of the body.   Out we get for carbohydrate top-up !

    Time for some hard work.  Not distance flogging with rate-meter and stopwatch bouncing around. We leave these at home; the experienced coach knows what he is looking at and looking for. We have a 500 metre stretch marked out, and all our hard work is done here.  Initially, the athletes have to learn to think for themselves, so…..

    The athlete is challenged to scull the 500 metres at medium effort, in as few strokes as possible, counting the total number of strokes taken.   Back to the start. Do it again, with two instructions; try to take less strokes and increase the pressure.  Record the count.  Do it again.

    As the intervals elapse, a point is reached where the effort is increased to such a point that the strokes taken to cover the 500m do not decrease, but the count actually increases .  We now work in reverse and look for the optimum- low count at fairly high pressure.

    Now, reader, an insertion for you !   Every stroke sculled today has a somewhat artificial aspect.  During the hour warm-up, after each finish, the hands are whipped away as fast as possible. No pause at back-stops. Such an artificially fast ‘away’ will inevitably take the body forward with it to a degree, but this is where the movement ‘brake’ starts to come on. As the body reaches its required angle of lean, all is slow and relaxed. As the hamstrings begin to tighten, the slide is allowed to move, squaring begins, no further body lean and the beginning is gently looked for.

    Why ?      Read the previous article on ‘Resonance’.   This is a condition associated with the position of the body’s centre of gravity at a certain point in the forward movement at a certain rating.   It is where all ‘pitching’ ( up/down movement, or ‘bounce’ )ceases and the boat moves with smooth almost constant speed.     The article stated that this can be found to a degree by complex physics and maths, but the coach can see it and the athlete feels it.    This is what the questioner has noticed regarding our scullers. It can be found by experimenting somewhere in the region formed by quick arms/body and slow remaining slide/ beginning.

    All scullers and rowers will have noticed that once in a lifetime, the boat floats forward with no effort. Usually by chance and pure luck, like ‘The Lost Chord’ ( ask your music tutor !) it is never felt again !!  We look for this condition; it is the holy grail of boat movement.

    Ignore all coaching that tells you that the forward motion in the boat is at a constant speed. No !  We seek to eliminate resonance pitching by the above.

    Analogy again.  We live in an age of energy consideration.  Take an ordinary 1950s house, heated traditionally.  Little cavity wall insulation, no double glazing,, no roof lagging.   Most of the heat produced by the fire or boiler goes literally out of the window (or walls or roof) or up the chimney. This is your typical sculler.  Gym training to lunatic level, then jumping in the boat and applying the same mentality ( or lack of it ).  The energy developed within the body is used up by immense wastage and possibly a little correct technique. The sculler is finished before the race reaches halfway.

    Our sculler’s house has underfloor insulation, cavity wall and roof insulation ( with aspirating systems – note the parallels ), a burner system that does not throw all the heat up the chimney but recirculates it – all in all, the owner is a thinker, the energy wastage is immensely low, and its level, which might initially have been lower than that of our lunatic friend, sees the race out in relative comfort.

    So, our sculler is looking for Nirvana, often finding and recognising the state more frequently, until he/she knows exactly the right ‘note’ to hit all the time.

    Back to the 500m stretch.  Two scullers.  We are going interval training, but not in the usual boring way. Mars Bars for the winner !   Line up level. ‘You race each other, but, oh yes, I forgot to say, the winner not only has to finish first, but has to complete the interval in less strokes than the loser.’  AAAAAAgh !!   The session only finishes when we have a winner of 5 intervals, which may have taken  8-10   500m distances. 

        ( Yes, I admit, we do work them quite hard ! )

    Seriously, the anti-resonant condition rules all the time, in whatever boat work we do.

    With the latter in mind, the season advances, a few head races are won effortlessly, and early regattas loom.    Problem here, but we treat them like head races – yes, a 10 stroke thrash, but then relax, use the energy slightly more quickly by realising that it’s all over at 2000m, and keep the brain looking for that hotspot in each stroke.

    OK, we do use the gym, ergo, cycles and running ( what fun running 100m intervals flat out against another team over a 400m athletics track.  Go again when your team completes the circuit  ! ), but not to destruction. All the time there is fun, interest and thinking. The coach is not the enemy – he feels their pain and shares the inevitable gain !

    Good luck – it can happen to you !       ‘It’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it’       ( as the song says ! )
 
Have a Good Christmas !    Given time at this end, a cynical but humorous true story of a coach’s life and his experiences of the best and worst head and regatta venues follow.  Time for a chuckle !    Ho, Ho, Ho!

2)  ‘ The Years have Gathered Grayly ’  - and Grumpily !!

As I pass retirement age and the inclement weather blows me from the river bank into the Aga-comfort of our cottage kitchen, the frustrations suffered from weather-interrupted training announce my arrival. I clump in, unexpected. My wife views me with the semi-disgust usually reserved for the furry corpse that the cat has offered in exchange for extra helpings,  pitying, but still with  latent derision. The eyes dagger the mucky boots, waterproofs and the sculling seat that has to be mended on the kitchen table. Human nature being what it is, I figure that a first foray might quell the expected onslaught. ‘Coffee looks a bit weak. Hot chocolate is better after rowing. Any  digestives?’

I was wrong. The 1939 edition of Nickalls and Mallam’s ‘Rowing’ on 
which I had frittered away part of the housekeeping the previous day in 
a Hay bookshop would have been better exchanged for Caesar’s ‘Gallic Wars’! She lights the first fuse.‘You get more like Victor Meldrew every     day! Complain, complain! Why don’t you suggest that we knock a hole   into the lounge so that you can bring those canoes into the house! I smiled. Not at the intentional and malevolent K1-1X reversal, but at the compliment ! ‘Victor Meldrew! The ultimate accolade! I wave a white flag and step lightly into the study, the seeds of my rowing sermon already sprouting from the mud prints across the carpet.

Deep down, as we wince at Victor’s verbal onslaughts on the box, we grudgingly and inwardly accept, no public admissions mind you, that the man is right. He will not accept second-rate service; if the lettuce wilts
or the bean tin is dented, the supermarket chain has to be nuked. If the dustbin is not emptied, the local council is machine gun fodder. What do we do? We mildly buy another black bag, walk away from the phone and feel pathetic.

So, to rowing. I firmly pull down the peak of my Victor cap and pull the trigger. Where shall we start? First principles. Anywhere in life, if we
spend money, we are retail customers. A money taker offers goods or services; do we get value for money?

Don’t worry up at Hammersmith, in my book British Rowing gives damn good value. There might be a touch of the traditional, to be expected in
a sport that still wears pink socks and schoolboy caps, but whereas such capers might throw doubt on our hormonal definition elsewhere, its all rather cosy in boats. One small thought though, before we leave The Priory.

Why can the following season’s regatta calendar not be finalised
as the current season ends, say by September? Every other sport does
it; European rowing associations do it. Next year’s family holidays need
to be booked in the autumn; we must annually attend Llandaff or Warrington regattas as a life priority, but we don’t know when they are
to be held! Employers are screaming for vacation slots to be claimed,
but I might just be asked to row on an as yet undefined date in a novice crew at Putney Town. If a Prime Minister’s eldest might just make
National Schools, even the GCSE and A-levels await that sacrosanct
Holme Pierrepont date. The date of a next General Election is thus at
risk, and all because the Rowing Calendar is not published until the new year !

Talking of competition…. We pay our entry fees, fill in our on-line forms, enclose our cheques, and guarantee that the package arrives on time. Surely some sort of deal has been established? (If you failed to conform
to the above requirements, move on to the next paragraph; you deserve    not to enter the draw!) So the 10% of us still in the game give a
moment of consideration to defining what we expect for our money.

We arrive at our head race or regatta, park the trailer and wonder what the snaking queue is all about. Lady readers will knowingly tell me that it’s for the only portaloo on the site. But no, it’s for that quaint custom called registration. Registration is a process whereby the mind is taxed to ultimate limits of ingenuity to try to convince an iron-willed steely eyed valkyrie that you have failed to produce a piece of plastic for a quite acceptable reason. Pathetic reasons range from ‘It’s in the post’ to ‘There’s a strike in Hammersmith’. One guy even told the truth, ‘I forgot it’. All to no avail; out came that  out-dated licence to print money, the day ticket book.

Lets look at it seriously. Why does a British Rowing card have to be produced on arrival ? What devious ploy does it prevent? It simply
shows that the name and number that you have forged on the entry
form match up. The international  bearer has probably applied for
several, all in different names, so that he can enter both men’s novice pairs and heavyweight women’s open sculls. Did British Rowing check on application that he really was who he said he was? No, surely the only point at which  cards need to be checked are those of  a winning crew     while still in the boat. All else is subject to simple subterfuge.

My icing-on-the-cake-sugar-and-cream regatta is the one that has a fast-track registration table for those clubs that have prepaid in full at entry, whose crews produce instant up to date cards, with immaculate entries. One can really leer with glee at the confusion reigning alongside as the minutes to boating tick relentlessly away. 

Now to civility. I arrived at a Thames head race this season as a
stranger, parked the trailer temporarily to seek some advice, found      nobody, and returned to be regaled by an apparently deranged being in brogues with a clipboard who told me that my crews would be given a
false start ( it’s a head race, mind you ! ) if my wheels did not start     turning forthwith. I asked him to quote the international statute under which this dire threat would be applied, took his instruction literally,     wheel-spun a puddle of mud over his brogues,and pottered off. A spirit
of disillusionment had been sown that guaranteed not only a non-return   to that place for my club, but further proliferation to be spawned by accounting the experience during bored mid-division yawns to any interested party in seasons to come.

Talking of head races and contracts, what exactly are the services
offered for our money? We bump into all sorts on river banks, none of whom wear their weekday weeds; it’s the public equivalent of being in a nudist colony; we are all equals. I discussed this very contract point
with a gentleman on a Surrey bank one wintry afternoon. He asked me   why we came. I said that there was no logical answer to that question, other than the fact that all rowers and camp followers were by definition stark staring loopy. He smiled, recognising the affliction.

We discussed value for money. He gave his opinion. ‘We do not
pay for the competition or the exercise,’ he stated, ‘There has to be something more tangible to define a contract. I submit that we pay
for the chance to win a prize. We cannot guarantee that prize, so the
chance of winning is the nearest thing to it, unless the race is cancelled.    In the gambling world if you bet on a horse and the race is cancelled,
you cannot win, so by law you cannot lose. The bookmaker is not
entitled to take your money. Res ipsa loquitur’.

I was impressed, having had fifth declension Latin female nouns beaten into me at the age of twelve, followed by irregularly applied and totally uncomprehended passive verbs similarly injected a year later. I nodded sagely. He read my vacant mind. ‘The matter speaks for itself’.
He turned out to be a barrister.

Later I trotted off to the race secretary. My sculler had just won a division in which there were only two competitors. The prize was
withheld. I politely quoted my newfound friend and asked either for the prize or my money back. I was impolitely refused. I have not returned since.

We wait around an awful lot at heads. It may be cold in boats waiting
at the start,  products of the respiration process uncomfortably  swelling  bladders, but do competitors ever appreciate the agonies of the
spectator? Boredom ! No programmes to read. Flasks and sandwiches
left in the car that we were instructed to disconnect from the trailer and park in the next county, containing umbrellas, gloves, the spare sculling seat, all our tools and everything from a copy of ‘The Sun’ to a
newspaper! We suffer the first division, but thereafter……!

But it’s not all moans! What does one head do after the first division? 
It provides and prints results within ten minutes. Comparisons can be made, opinions disputed against results, euphoria or dejection. Before
we know it, the second division is over . Lo and behold, an up to date printout in a different colour is distributed free of charge. The process is repeated. Each boat has its time given to it as it passes the finish, and prizes are awarded within ten minutes of the end.

Only one downside. This head is now oversubscribed and has to   limit its entries to ‘first come, first served’. Compare this to a head 
down the road. First division 11.00 am, results after 5.00 pm, if we are lucky ! We’d gone home!

‘Instant results,’ you say. ‘How?’ Ask any 12 year old. ‘Type into   your final spreadsheet column 

 =IF(AND(G2<>”DNS”,H2<>”DNF”),H2-G2’”NTT”), 

highlight all diagonally from top right to bottom left and press ‘Enter’ !’

Damn, the 12 year old is telepathic. ‘What about us, granddad? Tell
them about us juniors! We are the disillusioned, the unwanted. Told
that we are ‘Oarsome’ and given little chance to prove it. It was a good idea, but we tinies are competitive. We need races. At the age of 11, its no good telling us that we can race when we reach 14. Remember our favourite repost; “ I’m bored!” A bored young competitive rower quickly becomes a footballer , an angler, a follower of the now-twilight
Wilkinson cult, or respectfully, whatever is the young lady’s equivalent.’

We do our homework on this subject. From every ten head entries
entered below J14, half find no competition, 2 have to race a year group older, the remainder are asked to row against the clock with no competition, or worse, told as above that no prize can be offered. ‘We   have to make a profit’, the organisers whine. ‘It takes juniors too long
to get to the start!’ Did nobody ever consider the phrase ‘long term investment’, or the fact that in novice fours there were 21 entries at £8
per seat;  only 5 medals at £5 to be bought!

There are exceptions. One midlands oarsome club religiously hosts a 3 division ‘tinies’ head every autumn, and very relaxed fun it is too. No bickering, no booze, no foul language – but then, there are no adults!
It’s a shame that others that would do the same fall into the mire of the British Rowing event application process. Its all too complex to host a regatta, so why bother. Clubs try the easy alternative of an invitation event, but are still clobbered; limitation on entries, insurance (understandably) and so on. Please, British Rowing, deal with this at HQ, not the Outer Hebrides regional council that only meets at sheep droving leap year Shrove Tuesdays, and who not only lose the
draft minutes during the fight to decide who shall not be secretary but
can only switch on the electric typewriter on alternate Sundays.

Damn me, these expletives are echoing around the kitchen; either my marriage or my dinner is at stake, possibly both. That clatter was the already broken sculling seat ending up outside the back door.  Anyways
up, the laying down of many of rowing’s frustrations does to a degree alleviate the house-bound days until the river becomes boatable.

January 2012 Forum 

1)    Qu.     I am due to take my first outing in a single, and am distinctly worried.  Can you give me any advice ? 

        Ans.    Most definitely.  The response is in two parts; the first is easy.   Do not go out in a single if you are worried.  Talk to your parents and responsible members of your club and tell them of your apprehension.  If you feel any degree of pressure, walk away. 

The second part is detailed, and is addressed to any coach that is responsible for boating novices in singles. 

If a sculler / oarsperson is to progress, a single is a necessity, but caution is also a priority.  Forget the bravado about capsize drill, making such an event sound almost an inevitability.  Preach that capsize is unlikely, and that any immersion is the fault of the coaching, not the sculler ! 

Psychology is initially the key.  We all know that survival is one of the basic animal instincts.  ‘Flight or fight’ ( or first outing in a single ! ) induces a huge adrenaline kick, and all else ( which includes the most logical informed coaching ) goes out of the window ( or over the side! ). 

There must initially be a partnership of complete trust.
    ‘ This coach will not let me fall in. He is deeply concerned with my well-being, and I trust him/her absolutely. ’  
    ‘ This sculler is at the most difficult point of her/his career. I am in a position of complete trust. They must stay dry.’ 

This is my process….  Much of the first outing in a single is related to the machinery !

Put the novice in a double in the stroke seat, with the coach sitting behind at bow. Talk the sculler through the safety aspect. Talk about hands clamped together with sculls feathered on the water.  Gently rock the boat, indicating that in this position, capsize is impossible.  Separate the hands, ‘up – down’ .  The boat will rock in twisting mode, but is still stable. Returning to the ‘hands together lock’ will give complete stability.

Coach stabilises the boat and sits sculler at backstops. Forget feathering, keep sculls squared. Drop in the water, and ‘Up – Down’, ‘Port – Starboard’ with the handles repeatedly. Boat twists, but is safe. Coach eases blades off the water and lets the sculler feel for balance.  When it is lost, GENTLY remind the novice that letting the handles go and grabbing the side of the boat is not exactly the best way to progress !  Embed this thought in the psyche.

At this point refer back to the basic stroke in a previous article. Hundreds of them. The novice will soon be able to move the boat, still with the coach balancing, fairly efficiently.

Turning the double round is an excellent confidence drill.  Keep the sculls squared.  Demonstrate that although drawing the scull will produce forward progress ( plus individually will begin to steer the boat ), the boat can be sculled backwards by turning the scull ‘inside out‘, and pushing the handle. ( Also a steering effect ). Do this repeatedly with each hand singly.  Then scull backwards with both hands.

‘ Apres ‘ad nauseam’ ’, “pull one, push one”.  The boat will turn on the spot with hardly any alternate sideways movement.  Change hands. Repeat.  The clever bit is to push one and pull the other at the same time !  The brain will object to this, but kindly tell it that it is learning a new skill, just like walking, talking, and that it is all part of its owner’s expectation !  The boat will now be turning in a full circle with no bow/stern movement. (I coached an eight on a canal once that was only wider than the boat was long by a couple of feet.  The push-pull syncronisation turned with no delay or damage.)

For the future, indicate that it is often easier to turn a boat by backing down with one hand, throwing in the necessary draws with the other, especially if turning after sculling with the stream. Drawing only will not only hit one bank, but over the horizon or the weir as well !

So our sculler can now manoeuvre and turn the double.  These learned skills can now be relegated to a deeper part of the brain when taking the step into the single. 

Prior to boating the novice sculler, the coach must go through a check-out process.  How deep is the water on which we are operating.  Is there a current.  Does the shallow water near the bank become noticeably deeper as we move nearer midstream.  Do I have a throwline to hand ? Might it be handy to have a launch harmlessly pottering about? These items need not be broadcast to the sculler.

If the sculler is genuinely known to be a strong swimmer, fearing no water situation, and it is summer, it might be an idea to put a capsized boat with sculls into the water, and ask the sculler to initially wade, possibly swim, to the bow, and return the boat to the stage. Then practice removing sculls, or at least one, from the inverted boat, and righting it, replacing the removed scull.   Reminding the sculler of the hands clamped position, ask him/her to get back into the boat, from one side, giving advice about centre of gravity etc.   Make it playtime !   ( Wash out mouth with disinfectant after session, plus shower ) 

The above paragraph is probably the exception, and we return to the somewhat apprehensive, but trusting novice. 

The chances are that our beginner is a smallish junior, and that the boat is rigged too high.  Take it out, put it on trestles, and go through the rigging process dealt with in a previous forum item. Put it in the water. 

Tell the sculler that the boat is firmly locked to the stage with no movement possible. Coach clamps it in this position, possibly with a block under the rigger/gate end to keep it level.  Sculler is instructed how to embark.  One foot on the deck, hands on saxboards at base of rigger. Take weight on this leg and swing the other onto the stretcher plate. Sit down.  Disembark and repeat several times. 

Introduce the sculls, which will have been placed nearby.  Put the stage side scull in its gate, handle towards the stern, making sure that it is in front of the pin, and its correct red/green coded side. ( See previous on ‘Navigation’)

Show the sculler that the boat is still firmly held, and that they can lean out on the water side, undo the gate, insert the scull, and drop the latch, making sure that the tightning knurled nut is firmly seated. Failure to check this is one of the most common reasons for capsize, when the scull pops out of gate.

Sit the sculler at backstops, instruction not to initially use the slide, holding both handles together in the safety position, with sculls feathered.  Stress again that in case of problems, clamp the handles together, relax and regather confidence. The feet are placed on top of the shoes, not in them.  The reasons are not expounded to the sculler.

Tell the sculler that you are going to ease the boat away from the stage, keeping it level, and that you will not let the scull spoon go until the sculler is happy.. Handles still together.  Boat is now just in excess of the landward scull length away from the stage, and the coach tells the sculler that he/she, the coach, will now let go of the scull.  Instruction  - ‘Do nothing, breathe easily, sit up comfortably, keep the handles together, and survey the world around, including over each shoulder.’

Chat to the sculler for a few minutes about nothing in general.  Take the spoon end, bring the sculler in and disembark.  Quiz how they feel so far, and whether they are confident enough to go further.  Most will be highly chuffed and confident enough to get back in.  Embark and return to the ‘free-floating’ position.

The boat is still sufficiently close to the stage for the coach, if required, to grab a spoon, and the sculler is asked to do the hands raise and lower exercise that they met in the double, the boat twisting.  The sculler will by now automatically return to the safety position at the end of each exercise.    All good and smiles so far !

A bit further !  Sculler now clamps handles together with one hand, and the coach instructs sculler to lean sideways and put weight on base of the rigger.  The boat is still quite stable, albeit the weighted scull slowly submerging. Do not protract this, but return to the one-hand stability and repeat for the other side.   Tell the sculler that the reason we do this is that capsize is never an instant process unless the handles are let go, and that a considerable amount of off-centre inbalance is required, and that in extreme slow motion, to roll a boat over with sculls out horizontally.

If the sculler is confident, let them lean out further, and bounce the rigger up and down !– the boat is still stable as long as the handles are clamped.

     Wow, I’m nearly a sculler !!   

Now for propulsion.    Let the sculler lean forward, and prepare to scull will one blade.  He/She will create just enough ‘lean’ on the other blade to use it to create stability on its side. Not too much, not to little.  Just as in the double, scull a few strokes with one hand. The boat will, of course turn towards the bank or away from it.

If the latter, the coach instructs to stop and stabilise.  The sculler might feel uneasy away from the bank.  This is where the backing practise in the double enters the arena.

The bow might be facing obliquely away from the bank. Coach explains that we are going to return, initially straightening parallel to the bank.  One hand stability, drawing or pushing with the other, until the sculls are within coach’s reach again.

       Huge congrats and praise !

Now, before we scull with both hands and while we are competent on the one hand stability, we are going to practise turning the boat around in alternate directions.

Push the sculler away from the stage ( Note that terror has fled !) and instruct to back down with either hand for 3/4  strokes. The boat will now be well away from the stage. Keep talking and convince that all is still well. Instruct to pull for a few strokes with the opposite hand. Keep the bow off the stage, and back /pull alternately. The boat will have turned a complete circle.   

Change hands, and rotate in the opposite direction.  The sculler will by now be pushing and pulling harder, feathering and squaring, the boat twisting, but all within a new-found confidence range.  Reminder:- we are still at backstops, and sculls are not feathered off the water.

        Disembark to award medal ! 

The pupil will not need any encouragement to get back in, and maybe the coach can introduce self-embarking, depending on the type of stage.  If there are hand-holds or cut-outs, clamp the rigger to the stage, and keeping the weight to the landward side, step in. Coach wary for outward leaning !

Away from the stage again. If the sculler is confident enough, the coach can ask the pupil to withdraw the scull a little from the swivel and push against the coach. The boat will drift away from the stage. Later, the whole scull can be withdrawn and pushed against the stage – but as and when confidence builds.

Now the sculler moves the boat with both hands, and the coach follows at a walk, talking all the time.  Inevitably the slide will creep into play – keep it back !

A scull will get tangled.  Talk about ‘twisting’ to remove and revert to the safety position each time before continuing.  At the end of some 20-50 metres, do a turn, as before, and return to the stage, turning again. 

If several novices are being coached at the same stage, as confidence grows, they can compete in ‘turning races’ – ‘1st to complete 5 rotations in opposite directions.’

Or ‘ Race 50 metres with a turn at each end, once conventionally, once backing down all the way’ !

Teach stage approach.   Initially, well off the stage, give the boat movement, and lean gently on one part-feathered scull. The boat will turn in that direction.  Practise with increased speed and harder lean, the scull more severely nearer the upright. The turn is sharper.  Make the sculler aware that this is how a stage approach is managed.

Now the real thing. Approach the stage at about 45 deg, the coach tells when to drag, and the boat will either stop 3 metres off the stage or try to ram it head on !!   Off you go and try it again !   Just  like the ‘Lost Chord’ last month, one approach will be perfection, and the coach casually says ‘Hello, that was rather smart, you don’t need me !  Out we get and let’s have a cup of tea !  ( By the way, I will still hold the rigger while you remove the outer scull !)’

Seriously, I do not see how it is possible to capsize a novice sculler at any point up to now. They will do it themselves in the future as confidence goes sky-high, but fear should have disappeared, and that was the main part of the exercise.

I cannot forget an image of a 13 year-old beginner, initially determined but somewhat fearful, having progressed as above, now asking for more !  I set her off the stage, and asked her to hold the sculls with one hand. ‘So, what’s new’, she politely said.  ‘Now stand up with both feet on the slide deck, still holding the sculls.’  No problem !  ‘Now stand on one leg, holding the other sideways’  No problem !  ‘ OK’, I said, ‘Do you want to go for gold ?’   Affirmative.  ‘ You are leaning down to hold the scull handles. Bring them back to your deck front, put one leg in front and one behind them to make a ‘shin-clamp’, let go with your hands and wave your hands in the air !     The spare kit went home dry !

12 months later, as a Nat Champs J-14 gold medallist, she confided that she would never forget that first novice session !!         

The above is , of course, dealing with the important coaching aspects. A club will be running safety courses,capsize and swimming drills parallel to its boating.  The carrying and racking of singles and doubles will be competently explained. ( No single or double should be carried at their extreme ends.   They will flex, bounce and crack, not in one go, but craze over a period and lose all rigidity ). 

Good luck – Let’s see an increase in the number of Ball Cup singles in 2012 / 13  ! 

The introduction of slide work following the above is dealt with elsewhere, as is conventional sculling coaching.   We remember that this month we have hopefully allayed the fears of any aspiring singles champion.

February 2012 Forum 

A quick perusal of the rowing websites tells us that ergo machines are in the news.  Siemens, the British Rowing sponsor, has put out a photograph of a female athlete ( no prizes for guessing who ) on a Concept ergo.

This has been flayed regarding posture and application by Rebecca Caroe, who hosts her own RowPerfect site.  Mailed responses have been entertaining and varied !

It is thus incumbent of this site to make comment which is helpful to juniors who have probably not had a great deal of technical expertise and coaching applied in the ergo field.

Ergo is a colloquially shortened version of ergometer.  Avid students of these columns will know from previous pages that the source of the title came from the pre-MKS system of units known as SI ( Systeme Internationale ) .  The erg was a very small unit of energy, or work.  Its value was defined by lifting about a thousandth of a gramme through a distance of one centimetre – a ridiculously small amount.  Hence, all practical measurements involved huge powers of ten, well into millions upwards.

Anyway, the name stuck , so let us initially examine the machine, of which the Concept version is the most common.  We must say initially that the Concept machine in its basic form does not mimic the rowing stroke well, and to that end, contact Rebecca Caroe and RowPerfect !

The user moves up and down a conventional slide, with feet anchored in shoe plates not dissimilar to a boat.  The oar / scull is a single handle mounted on a chain which passes over a gear wheel in a housing. The gear is on a free-wheel and attached to a wheel which has the property of  Inertia.   This means that there is resistance to starting to revolve or further, angular acceleration, and an ‘unwillingness’ to stop revolving.  
As the wheel revolves, air is driven out from the housing from louvres, or spaces, whose size can be adjusted on a common scale of 1-10.    When the louvres are closed, air flow is restricted, and a greater resistance to rotation is experienced. The wheel, if left, will slow under friction and eventually stop.

Regarding technique, we must initially state that many users of ergos are not rowers and use the machine for general exercise, recreation, or at a higher level for competition.  At the latter level, high scores at national level can be obtained without recourse to technique associated with sculling or rowing -  Straight up and down the slide, no thoughts of boat run or the space limitations imposed by blades / sculls in the confines of a boat.

Good luck to the latter, but we are coaching for boat work, and this has to be a major criterion in ergo use.   So,  let us get down to technique.  Most clubs will have posters from British Rowing on the walls of their gyms.  These are valuable, but if we refer back to a previous forum article, correct back / slide coordination is a natural sequence of familiarity with the feel of a resistance load.  I know of nothing better than the isometric ( no movement ) anchoring of a body in the sculling boat on land.

( Take the trouble to research this – it could be the answer to the bum-shovers’ prayer ! ) .

The handle shape is worthy of discussion.   The original handles were simple straight wooden cylinders, attached to the chain.   Disadvantage here is that they do not mimic the angles of a scull / blade handle at beginning or finish.   Concept ‘evolved’ a handle that is bent in the middle, each end  angled towards the athlete. Fine at the beginning, but useless at the finish, where a powerful finish causes the hands to slip off the handle.  I throw the latter away, and return to the original wooden handle.

( An assumption here is that we juniors cannot afford or are allowed access to the evolution of the sculling ergo, complete with handles – the lot !  For many years to come most athletes will still use the original Concept machines )

Grip !  This is a really onomatopoeic word  ( Sounds like it is ! )  Try to forget it !

Draw the handle with four fingers on top and thumb underneath.  Many athletes put their thumbs over the top with the fingers, or place them flat along the handle.  NO !  As a test try to do a pull-up on a bar with thumbs under or over.  The ‘unders’ have it by a mile!

Regard the fingers as hooks. You will never dislocate the joints in a month of Sundays. Neither will you cramp your forearms. You do not have to feather or square, so all is very simple. Let’s take a few gentle strokes…..

The end of the stroke is as in a correctly adjusted boat.   The handle draws to a point in the region of the lowest rib. It travels in a straight line to that point from a start about half way up the slit from which the chain emerges.  Mark this point with white tape !    Many hapless users run the handle through a maze ranging from the ceiling to their legs, ending at chin, eye level or groin ! ( see the Siemens pic )  Think about the above as you gently try a few strokes.

At the end of the draw, imagine that you are in a sculling boat. You have to remove the sculls from the water, so on the ergo, handle down to just hover over the thighs. Come forward by aiming the handle in a straight line again at the white tape.

Why are you running the handle down your shins to the ankles, and thence vertically to the beginning position !!! ?      Straight lines rule all !

As we are not gripping the handle, the anomalies of the beginning and finish per the straight handle do not cause problems. The hand simply swivels at the base of the middle finger to accommodate for the straight handle problem.

Elbow position at the finish causes heated discussion. No argument. Physics again to the rescue !   In a sculling boat, the finish is such that the forearms are at ninety degrees to the handle ( think again about opening a door – previous ), and the forearms are in the same plane as the line of draw. ( A plane is an imaginary surface, like a table top ). So, in the ergo, the former is impossible, but the latter, with elbows at handle height, is correct.   Many very experienced athletes lower their elbows below the efficiency plane at the finish ( Again, sorry, Siemens )

Now we can ‘row’ the ergo, what can we do with it ?   There will be an electronic display, whose complexity is often to the detriment of the user.  Basically, it can be adjusted for distance and time; ie how long it takes to row a given distance, or how far you row in a given time.  It gives ratings, ie how many strokes per minute ( ~20 - 40 ). It gives ‘splits’, how you are doing at intermediate points. And more !

I split ergo use into three categories. 1) General fitness – low level work at extended distance and time, eg  5-10 k metres   2) Medium to high intensity work aiming at a distance / time relevant to competition. Eg  2000 m for lightweight women in approx 8 min.    This is where ‘interval work’ comes in.  Divide your target distance and time into, say eight. For the above, this will be 250m / 1 min.  Can you achieve this ?  Probably.  Do it, or set a lower target. Wait for your pulse to reduce to about 120 and do it again… and again…   Stop when discomfort becomes distress, and an observing coach instructs you.  3)  Power work – strength.  This is a personal option to weights work.  Set the display on ‘Watts’ ( Power )  How high a reading can you obtain in a single stroke ?  300-350 W ?    Take a breath and do it again and again, only stopping when the reading reduces to 80% of your maximum.  Failure to row within this range aborts the attempt. Start again ! You will probably do about 6-7 strokes. Rest to 120 pulse and repeat twice more.

Different clubs and coaches will have various and more complex versions of the above, and I place readers in their hands.  The above will iron out many of the misuses practised on the ergo, and will surely not be other than approved of in the general debate.

Remember, ‘Simple is Best !’ 

March Forum

Qu.    What is the most important part of the sculling stroke?

Ans.    ‘ Right Angles Rule ’   OK ?      Avid readers of the earlier forum content will be aware of the frequent reference to right angles. ( Ninety Degrees ? )

        A brief content this month grouping together instances where geometry and efficiency go hand in hand.

        As an intro, imagine that you have to open a very heavy ( massive ) door.  Where do you put the handle ?  Easy – as far away from the hinges as possible.

        The next stage we take for granted, but at what angle to the surface of the door gives us the easiest option for opening ?  Obviously a straight pull or push – Ninety degrees to the door surface.

        OK – Now lets look at last month’s forum – use of the ergo.   Think of the legs during the stroke.  Is the effort recorded on the screen constant during the drive.  No way !   The most efficient position with regard to the legs is the point at which the thighs make a right angle with the shins.  So, advice ?   Make the drive effort a maximum as this angle is approached.  Similarly be aware of the point at which the torso makes a right angle with the thighs.  Before or after is less efficient, so work hard at this maximum point.    Better still try to work them in tandem.. You will feel the extra effort required to match the double right angle, but if you can do it, the reaction on the wheel gives you a massive boost to your score.

        Now let’s move into a single scull and think of the beginning of the stroke.  Easy, you say, just draw the handles towards you. What do you notice ? The handles rise and the sculls scrape the bottom of the river !  

       No, regard the handles as moving in an arc with the swivel as fulcrum.  The wrists and fingers have to adapt to as close to this ideal as possible. Why ?  So that in an ideal state, vitually impossible, the forearms make an angle of ninety degrees with the handle.  As before, impossible, but get as near to it as possible – certainly mentally.   The sculls will now move at their correct depth.

       The most efficient point in the sculling stroke?   Answer as above ! When the arms are at 90 degrees to the handle.  Plus of course all that we said above regarding the leg joint angles.   Oh, yes, the scull spoon is also acting at 90 degrees to the motion of the boat – another most efficient condition.

       So, if we recognise all the above, and not only apply max effort through these right angles, but take care not to slacken the effort at these points, you will really notice the boat punch !

       End of sculling stroke ?   If we recognise the above middle of stroke condition and try to maintain the 90 degrees towards the finish, what do we have to do ?  The elbows and upper arms leave the side.  How far, we are asked frequently ?   No distances mentioned. We end the stroke with the forearms at right angles to the

 handle !

        Clever ones among you readers will notice an obvious unmentioned flaw. Viewed from above ( plan ) the 90 degrees can be maintained, but the forearms and elbows might be raised or lowered relative to the direction of draw.  Lost you ??

        Think back to the heavy door. We obviously push or pull at right angles, but not in an upward or downward direction as well.

        Back in the sculling boat, think of the direction of draw as a polished table top. The arms and elbows slide along the surface.  This is called movement in a constant plane.

April Forum

Qu.    How can we prepare for The Dorney Event ?

Ans.    Good question, as for many juniors, this is the big event of your year.

          Most of you will not have experienced a six-lane regatta before, and the vista as you arrive can be awesome.   For many coaches, this can also be a big deal, and scullers can help a lot before you leave home.    Captains and strokes should be on top of your individual events.  Know your times, know your opposition. Know your lanes, events and colour codes.  Be in charge of boat rigging.

          Coaches cannot be expected to do all these things.

          There is nothing worse for a coach than to observe crews just lolling around doing nothing !

          Before you leave home, a complete session should be devoted to turning a boat and backing it down onto an imaginary pontoon.   Be aware that at Dorney, a strong side wind from starboard ( archaic bow-side ! ) usually applies.   Allow for this.  You should all be able to scull a boat backwards, at least in a straight line.

          The above is the most important of the day.  Crews are now regularly left behind if they cannot attach to pontoons and hold the boat straight.

          Be aware of the ‘ Give LH scull to the person in front ‘ technique to hold the boat level in a side wind.  If you are not aware of this, ask your coach to demonstrate.

         The nonsense of holding up a hand if so called ‘not-ready’ applies.    You will be started in the opinion of the aligner and starter.   Be ready to scull the moment you are on the pontoon.

         Good luck !

         Get your sculls down to the stages before the boat is carried, and get them away after the race.   Many are regularly broken if left around, and marshals cannot hold up boating while you wander away to get equipment !

         Assuming that you get through the first round, replan your timetable, and repeat the above.

         WEATHER.   May can be a heat wave or freezing. If the latter, you will not be allowed to boat if inadequately clothed.   If the former, sun-cream and head cover apply !    Thunder storms or rough water often apply.    Coaches should adjust rigger height accordingly.   Many very adequate crews have been unable to scull because blades will not clear the waves !

        Watch out for damage possibilities.    Dozens of trailers and towing vehicles regularly knock the ends off boats and crush sculls – once a sculler as well !  Don’t blame others, foresee the possibilities.

May Forum

 
Qu.   I want to learn to help my coach rig boats.  What tools should I ask for as a birthday present ?

Ans.  What a valuable creature you are !  Read on.

      As the 2012 Ball Cups approach, there is going to be a plethora of rigging; boats to be derigged and loaded at home, rerigged for competition, and the whole process reversed after competition.

      It is a useful exercise in many aspects of the sport to imagine that the coach is absent for a session.  Does everything grind to a halt, or do enterprising crew members step in and carry on ?  Are you one of these ?

     Let’s start with the competition boat on its home rack.  Carefully lift onto trestles so that the weight is evenly distributed.  If the boat is sectional, imagine that when split, each half will exactly balance on its supporting trestle.  If non-sectional, the principle still applies.

     First tool needed is the universal 10 mm spanner. The size refers to the nut that it turns.  Rigger-jiggers are expensive, besides which you need both a ring and an open end on each spanner.  

     Overriding advice in this article is to find your local engineering supplies retailer, the place where you buy screws, nuts, bolts, drills and all sorts of mechanical and electrically driven tools.  Yellow Pages is the answer. Pay a visit, browse and ask questions.

     You will buy three spanners as above for a price compared to a single from a rowing supplier.  Often there will be a counter bin with a variety of spanners for mere pence. Two years ago I bought 50 Ten mm spanners for 30p each !

     Why both ring and open end ?  If your sculling boat has a forestay or awkward-angled stays, the ring will not seat over the nut, and the open end is needed.

     When removing the rigger nuts, either find a friend to support the rigger, or at least leave the centre top nut until last.  You should find that there will be a washer between nut and rigger. If not put one on as you rerig.  On this point, buy washers and nuts while at the suppliers.  Cheapest buy is a box of 500 of each. Mere pence or less each !   Why not measure your rigger bolts and buy a couple of dozen of these also as spares.

     It is unforgivable that many clubs scrape and scrounge to find a single nut.  I poured a box of 1000 onto a table at a TSS coaching course – eyes popped out of heads !

    All the above should be asked for in stainless steel. Anything less will rust, which in turn will rot the wooden frames inside the boat shoulder gel coats.

    Sizes of bolts to fit 10mm nuts are 3mm diameter, obviously metric thread.

    So,  all riggers off !  How many nuts and washers lost ?  Several !  Multiply this by four, and you will know why futuristic archaeologists will wonder why small bits of steel are regularly found on rural river banks !  Hence the need to buy a box full !

    Next spanner size, also double ended open and ring , is 13 mm.  This will not only fit some section bolts, but more common in use, rigger gate mounting and top bolts.  Again, buy several   ( It might be useful here to buy a couple of 12 mm spanners in case you meet a few ‘foreign’ nuts.  Splash paint on to tell the difference –very close in size.

    On to sculls. Most clubs have afforded ‘posh’ sculls these days, adjustable not only at the button, but in overall length.    You can buy either a set of ‘posi-drive’ screw-drivers of various sizes, or 2 or 3 individuals.  Not a bad idea to take in a scull button, and choose a head to fit exactly.  Some bolt heads vary, although all in appearance are old ‘Phillips-type’ .

    So, all easy so far. You can derig and rerig a boat, adjust sculls, and play with gates.   What next ?

    I would go for lashings, the things with which you fix boats onto trailers, or bundle sculls and riggers in the bottom of a trailer. Do not buy straps with tightning buckles, the small version of lorry load fixings – they can be tightened to immense pressure, and will split gel-coats on boats, even if not visible damage.

   Go to a professional tent and marquee supplier ( again, Yellow Pages ), and buy a reel of elastic cord.  This can be cut into 1-2 metre lengths and used quite safely to lash boats to trailers.

   You will always meet a giant rusted nut somewhere. Add to your list a medium sized adjustable spanner.  The most expensive piece to date, but a real status symbol when an international eight needs to remove a rusted gate nut.  Better still in the status stakes is to tell them to slip the ring of a second spanner over the open end of a first, thus doubling the effective length of the spanner.  Nothing will resist that torque !

    On the subject, how tight should rigger nuts be ?   Simple, screw up loosely then further until you can not tighten further with a forefinger pressing on the end of the spanner.  Any more gouges the rigger and indents the boat.

    That should do for now. You will be boating for Dorney in two weeks. Already, with your tool box, you will be the most popular person on the regatta field.   Bask in the glory !

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